The Battery Rule That Only Applied To Me Chapter 02

Caleb showed up at the hospital early the next morning, carrying breakfast. The first thing he did was look at me.

“Why did you turn off your location?”

I followed him into the hallway. As soon as we stopped, he held out his hand.

“Give me your phone.”

I instinctively stepped back. “No.”

He reached for it anyway. I tried to dodge him, but I was too slow.

He entered my passcode with practiced ease, unlocked my phone, and reinstalled the couples’ location-sharing app. That wasn’t all. He enabled a new low-battery alert.

When the alert settings appeared, I saw Sophie listed alongside Caleb as a recipient of the low-battery alerts.

I snatched the phone back. My voice shook.

“Why is she getting my low-battery alerts, too?”

Caleb answered evenly.

“If I’m in a meeting and can’t get hold of you, she can remind you to charge your phone.”

Just then, Sophie walked toward us with a fruit basket.

“Winnie, don’t misunderstand. I didn’t want to get involved in this, either.”

“Caleb was worried about you. I only agreed to help.”

I stared at her, unable to get rid of the tightness in my chest.

She set down the basket, then glanced cautiously at Caleb.

“Caleb, when I got home yesterday, I noticed someone had messed with my front-door lock again. I’m honestly scared.”

He frowned immediately.

“Then stay at our future home for now.”

My head snapped up.

“That’s our future home.”

“It’s sitting empty,” he said coolly. “Sophie would only be there temporarily.”

I clenched my hands.

“Half the down payment came from money my parents gave me for our future home.”

His face darkened.

“Winona Prescott, we’re not even married yet, and you’re already dividing everything into yours and mine?”

Sophie quickly held up her hands.

“Forget it. I won’t move in. Winnie doesn’t like me, and I can’t let you two fight because of me.”

Caleb immediately took out a set of keys.

“Here. Take them.”

As the keys landed in Sophie’s palm, everything around me sounded muffled.

She ran her fingers over the keychain, tears still on her cheeks. But the corners of her mouth were already turning up.

I reached for the keys, but Caleb stepped in front of her.

“She’s a woman living alone. If something happens to her, are you going to take responsibility?”

Just then, Mom called out urgently from Dad’s hospital room.

“Winnie! Your father’s not feeling well!”

I ran back inside. Dad was clutching his chest, his face ashen.

A doctor rushed over and said he needed further tests immediately.

I called Caleb at once.

His first question was, “What’s your battery at?”

I froze.

“Forty-six percent.”

His voice hardened. “I told you not to run around with less than fifty percent.”

“Caleb, my dad needs tests right now. His insurance card is at home. It’s only a ten-minute drive. Can you go get it?”

“Find somewhere to charge your phone first.”

My hand was slick with cold sweat as I gripped the phone.

“This is a medical emergency.”

He paused.

“You’re not the only family member at that hospital.”

Then he hung up.

I stood in the hospital billing area, my vision darkening for a moment.

Half an hour later, a nurse lent me a charger.

As soon as my phone turned back on, I saw that Sophie had posted something on social media. The photo was taken inside the house Caleb and I had planned to share.

She was wearing slippers and sitting on the couch I’d picked out myself. Her caption read:

[First night in my new home. He said feeling safe matters more than anything when a girl lives alone.]

I opened the photo for a closer look. A set of keys lay on the coffee table. Caleb’s hand was visible beside them as he unpacked a new power strip for her.

Someone had commented:

[Wait, is this your new home with Caleb?]

Sophie had replied:

[Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m just staying here temporarily.]

Temporarily.

I stared at that word until my fingertips went numb.

My father was still lying in a hospital bed, and Caleb was busy helping another woman settle into the home we’d planned to share.